[blindkid] NPR: Service Dogs Teach Educators about Disabilities

Tue May 17 00:21:02 UTC 2011

Good luck on that one! I'm just trying to get my kitty get his hair brushed
every day and he does not agree. (Aubrie is reminding me that this is
totally unrelated!) 

-----Original Message-----
From: Carol Castellano [mailto:carol.joyce.castellano at gmail.com] 
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2011 4:27 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)
Subject: Re: [blindkid] NPR: Service Dogs Teach Educators about Disabilities

If these pups work as well with kids as has been reported, then they really
are a godsend.  I've also seen on TV dogs who can sniff cancer and dogs who
can get their human safely to a sofa before a seizure comes on.  They truly
are amazing animals.

I am trying to get my two cats to be so responsive :-).

Carol

Carol Castellano
Director of Programs
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
973-377-0976
carol_castellano at verizon.net
www.nopbc.org

At 08:55 AM 5/15/2011, you wrote:
>Service Dogs Teach Educators About Disabilities by LARRY ABRAMSON 
>Listen to the Story Weekend Edition Saturday [5 min 44 sec] Add to 
>Playlist Download Transcript text size A A A May 14, 2011 Many disabled 
>people say that life without their service animals is unthinkable. And 
>while public institutions are required to admit service animals without 
>question, some public schools claim they cannot handle the disruption 
>of a dog in a busy classroom. Disabled students are hoping new federal 
>guidelines will help them avoid legal battles over their animals. 
>Enlarge Larry Abramson/NPR Nathan Selove relies on his service dog, 
>Sylvia, to help him deal with meltdowns and other issues related to 
>Asperger's syndrome. Nathan And Sylvia Everyone at Sherando High School 
>in Virginia knows Nathan Selove:
>He's the kid with the dog. "Actually," he says, "she's the only dog in 
>the Frederick County public school system, so far." Sylvia is a 
>sweet-tempered yellow Lab who accompanies Nathan to school every day. 
>She wears a green vest that
>proclaims: "Don't pet me, I'm working." Nathan used to be a target of 
>bullying, but is less so now, he says. He strolls down the hallways, 
>leash in hand, looking relaxed, sunglasses propped above his forehead. 
>You would hardly know he has Asperger's syndrome, or that he sometimes 
>has terrifying meltdowns in class.
>That's why Sylvia is here. "And when I feel the need to pet her," he 
>says, "I just sort of lean down and pet her. And sometimes, like when I 
>get really stressed out - which  doesn't actually happen that often 
>anymore - she'll gett on my lap." In history class, Nathan sits down, 
>and Sylvia grabs a spot under his desk and chills.
>In a room full of high school sophomores, she is the calmest mammal 
>there. History teacher Doreen Pauley says Sylvia is just part of the 
>class now. "If he needs her, she's there; if he doesn't, she's just 
>quiet. She's a good dog."
>The blind don't usually get a guide dog until they are adults, so the 
>service animals that schools see are focused on other conditions, like 
>autism - a growing number of autistic cchildren are paired with service 
>animals. The Frederick County school system was initially hesitant when 
>Nathan's parents decided that he would benefit from having a service 
>dog in middle school. But now, Sylvia even rides the bus to school with 
>Nathan. A Dispute In California Not every parent has gotten the same 
>reception. Attorney Kathleen Mehfoud represents a number of Virginia 
>school districts and says many schools worry they may violate the 
>rights of other students by admitting a service dog.
>"For example, there are a number of students and staff who may be 
>allergic to dogs," she says.
>Disability rights groups say allergies and other issues can easily be 
>dealt with. They pushed the U.S. Justice Department to issue new rules 
>this spring clarifying that the Americans with Disabilities Act does 
>apply to schools. His behaviors are really more calm at home, or when 
>we're out with [his service dog] Eddy. I don't know what's going on at 
>school that's really increasing these aggressive behaviors. - Milka 
>Ciriacks, whose son Caleb is severely autistic But some districts still 
>question why dogs are necessary, especially for students who already 
>get intensive special ed services. In Orange County, Calif., Milka 
>Ciriacks has been fighting to have Eddy the service dog accompany her 
>6-year-old son, Caleb, to school. Caleb is severely autistic and used 
>to run away all the time. "It didn't really make sense to me until we 
>had the episode where Caleb took off," she says. "And that was like the 
>big red flag that like, we need something else." For the past year, the 
>Cypress School District has refused to allow Eddy into the school, so 
>Ciriacks has turned to federal court. The district would not talk on 
>tape, but in court filings, officials argue that Caleb is making good 
>progress without a dog. The district worries that being tied to an 
>animal will reduce his independence. But Ciriacks says that without 
>Eddy, her son is having outbursts in school. "His behaviors are really 
>more calm at home, or when we're out with Eddy," she says. "I don't 
>know what's going on at school that's really increasing these 
>aggressive behaviors." New Rules Offer Hope The new federal regulations 
>are meant to stop these cases from going to court. The rules tell 
>schools they must admit legitimate service dogs.
>But they also say that schools do not have to allow the wide variety of 
>"therapy animals," who are not trained, and primarily provide 
>companionship and comfort. Schools attorney Mehfoud says it's about 
>time. "We have dealt with requests for service snakes and service 
>monkeys in the past," she says. The new rules make it clear that 
>trained dogs are pretty much the only animals who qualify. Home at last 
>after working all day, Sylvia sheds her service vest and becomes a 
>house pet for a little while. She gets to run around on the Selove 
>family's 11-acre property. The family home is a bit of service dog 
>heaven. Ramon Selove, Nathan's father, also has Asperger's syndrome and 
>takes his dog, Cori, to his job as a college professor. But he has this 
>caution: Service dogs are a lot of work. Training can cost tens of 
>thousands of dollars and involves weeks of classroom work that can be 
>challenging for kids like Nathan. But Selove says his son was so 
>motivated by the chance to have this dog that "he was willing to do 
>things he wouldn't have been willing to do otherwise." Sylvia may well 
>be Nathan's best friend. Many other disabled schoolchildren now also 
>have the U.S. Justice Department as their buddy.
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